New York, NY—December 20, 2001---The Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CARU) announced today that Blakkat Station's Website, blakkat.com, has failed to abide by CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising with respect to safety issues in connection with its scooter advertisements. blakkat.com contains advertisements for and information on a variety of products with links to numerous sites where those products are sold.

Due to the significant number of injuries arising from the use of scooters by children, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued two reports since the summer of 2000 documenting these injuries and recommending that users wear safety equipment such as a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. CARU's Guidelines require, in part, that "when athletic activities (such as bicycle riding or skateboarding) are shown, proper precautions and safety equipment should be depicted."

blakkat.com displayed several pictures of kids using scooters without any safety equipment. Two photos were ultimately modified by a catalog company that blakkat.com linked to. But Blakkat Station did not take any action to replace the remaining problem photographs.

CARU's inquiry was conducted under NAD/NARB/CARU Procedures for Voluntary Self-Regulation of National Advertising. Details of the inquiry, CARU's decision and the advertiser's response will be included in the next NAD/CARU Case Report. Members of the press who wish to see a copy of the decision now should email CARU.

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The National Advertising Review Council (NARC) was formed in 1971 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. (ANA), the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Inc. (AAAA), the American Advertising Federation, Inc. (AAF), and the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB). Its purpose is to foster truth and accuracy in national advertising through voluntary self-regulation. NARC is the body that establishes the policies and procedures for the CBBB's National Advertising Division (NAD), The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU), and the National Advertising Review Board (NARB).

NAD and CARU are the investigative arms of the advertising industry's voluntary self-regulation program. Their casework results from competitive challenges from other advertisers, and also from self-monitoring traditional and new media, including the Internet. The National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appeals body, is a peer group from which ad-hoc panels are selected to adjudicate those cases that are not resolved at the NAD/CARU level. This unique, self-regulatory system is funded entirely by the business community; CARU is financed by the children's advertising industry, while NAD/NARB's sole source of funding is derived from membership fees paid to the Council of Better Business Bureaus.